Traditionally, video and still images of a live event (i.e., video content and still image content) are created by a team of professionals. In the case of video content, highly trained camera persons operate one or more cameras and highly trained production staff operate production equipment (e.g., within a production van at a sporting event) to select camera shots and combine graphics into a production feed. In the case of still image content, highly skilled camera persons operate still cameras to capture still images of an event and submit these still images to one or more editors who select shots for use in magazines, for example.
The cost of producing video and still image content defines the market size required to cover this cost. Thus, only events having a sufficient market justify the cost of producing video and still image content. Although technology has reduced the cost of production, the cost of skilled human operators remains high.
Images from a camera may be used to visually track an object (e.g., a golf ball) within the camera's field of view. The camera may be motorized to allow it to move so as to maintain the moving object within its field of view. However, such systems fail when the camera ‘loses sight’ of the object; for example, the camera may lose sight of the object if the object becomes visually obscured by another object.
For certain sporting events, cameras may be motorized to facilitate tracking of competitors and are operated by remote camera operator. These cameras still require the skill of a person.
Many systems have been developed to track objects by attaching a sensor to the object and then using the sensor to determine the location of the object. Such object tracking provides data (e.g., speed) to computer systems but is not known to facilitate real image production.